Valvefloat991

Lack of low-end torque and turbo lag are completely different phenomenon. Floor a GT3 at 2000 and it doesn't deliver much thrust, but what it has it delivers instantly. Floor a turbo car at 2000 rpm and it delivers much more thrust--a second or two later. That doesn't make the turbo bad and I'm very happy with my base 991.2 with a manual transmission. But unless you never take advantage of the engine's strong low-end torque, you can't help but experience turbo lag with the car.

BSO

Just a day ago I drove both the manual (just a few available) and the PDK (main fleet car) GTS models at the Barber Motorsport track.

Most seat time was in a PDK but drove the manual for one stint.

The PDK will give you quicker lap times per the instructors who all have thousands of laps in these cars. But it's worth noting that they told us to use just 3rd and 4th gears in the manual to do the course and they also advised you could run it in 4th all around.

Coming out of a turn in 3rd and the RPM just below 3k, you could get on the gas hard and I didn't discern any turbo lag, just a continuous pull up the rev range. These motors develop peak torque starting at 2150 RPM and they have serious grunt. I have track video of it but I'm not home to be able to attach any of it for now.

I did enjoy doing my own shifting. I'm no heel/toe guy, but if the others can use the PDK, I had no qualms using the rev-match, which actually works better when the car is pushed hard.

PCA1983

I did not drive a T since not all the sport pkg options are not available on the T. I wanted the PDCC, the S brakes, with available X51 PowerKit (GTS turbos/brake cooling ducts & Porsche engine software upgrade, with full Porsche factory warranty). The short throw shifter is available for retrofit on any manual Carrera, but i wanted the faster and more durably clutched PDK. And i prefer the 14 way seats. So my 2 year old new Weissach Limited Edition at a nice discount made more sense for me than a T.
I should also mention.that all my Porsche sportscars were 5 or 6 speed manuals until my ninth. My 9th Porsche was a 15 Carrera S with 7 spd manual. I never liked that tranny. It was replaced under warranty with a new one because 2nd gear synchro failed shortly after I bought it. So I had a new tranny, but it always felt balky to me. Maybe the short shift lever would cure that part. But it had too many gears and the ratios were too wide for my taste. It felt like 5th thru 7th were all overdrive gears. I never used 7th because it was so tall. I only used 6th over 75 mph. Greenie gears, I called them. I'm not going to cruise below 2500 rpm in a Porsche. Id drive a Corolla or Prius if interested in that. So my dislike for the 7 spd was a factor in deciding to go with PDK. It took a few thousand miles to get used to shifting with a finger instead of an arm & a leg and an occasional blip of the right foot, but now I love the PDK.
But the close ratio 6 speed manual of the GT3 has to be atthe pinnacle of all manuals. That's the one I'd love to have, if I could get the options I want on a GT3.